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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Caroline ~ Scotland |
November 2009
Arrival:
fine on arrival but down hill from there.
Rooms:
clean but not well maintained .doors would not lock ,sink blocked for two days before fixed,no shower head ,no plug for bath.
Restaurants and Bars:
over run by locals and staffs family and friends never any food as locals eat every thing in sight ,very ignorant and pushey,bar staff do not even crack a smile, and some were very argumentitive.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
beach beautiful but over run with locals who would steal anything u had in ur beach bags, pools were either dirty or not open and whenn opened caused infections .
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
on the resort there was nothing much unless u paid for it ,or did not mind being dry humped by staff or harassed.
Other Comments:
entertainment staff were awful were in bed by 10 most nights. captain of tourist police stalked my sister for 2 weeks and tryed to drag her down the beach but thankfully she managed to get away as security staff told me to go drink more as she was fine as they watched on laughing.i seen this and shouted to security staff what are u doing about this as my sister was screaming for help .thankfully captain of tourist police is now in prison because of this attack.
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Gail ~ Scotland |
June 2009
Arrival: June 02
On arrival at Luperon Beach Resort we were made feel very welcome. We were very impressed by the layout.
Rooms:
Our room was immaculate, towels changed every day and sheets changed every second day. The maid service was fantastic they even left beautiful flowers next to your towels in your bathroom.
Restaurants and Bars:
We did not feel the need to book the A La Carte Restaurant as we enjoyed the variety of meals served on the main buffet. The staff at the main bar were very helpful and friendly.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Beach Pools and Grounds were highly maintained daily.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Animation Team at hotel were very lively inviting everyone to join in all activites. Would recommend dayout on Mega Trucks lots of fun and interesting sights along the way.
Other Comments:
The only negative comment I have is about the bar man who worked from 10 until 5 most days at the beach bar. He was all smiles our first week then approached my husband and our friends looking for money. We did not have a problem tipping waiters or bar staff but found it really uncomfortable to be asked for money. As we did not tip him because of his cheekiness it became quite awkward between us as he would serve other holiday-makers who came to bar after us first.
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Sandra ~ Ottawa, Ontario |
April 2009
Vacation Photos
Arrival: March 23 - 30
We flew Skyservice from Ottawa to Puerto Plata. The Luperon Beach Resort is a 90 minute drive from the airport. As we arrived in the afternoon it was a nice drive and we got to see a lot of the countryside on the way. I wouldn't want to make this drive at night though as the roads are very windy and were almost washed out in places.
Rooms
The room was typical of a 3 star in the DR. Clean but not luxurious. In the bathroom there are several things I'd advise one to bring with them, they include: facecloths (none are provided), soap (they only give you one very little bar for the week),Kleenex (none are provided). Also be sure to bring your own shampoo as there is only one tiny bottle in the bathroom and it isn't replaced during the week.
Restaurants and Bars
Again very typical buffet food, although the omelette bar was fantastic. They cook the eggs very well, which isn't always the case in these resorts. We tried two of the a-la-carts; the Brazalian and the Mexican and enjoyed both of the. If you drink regular Orange Pekeo tea bring some with you as the restaurants all only have herbal teas. Long pants for the men is strictly enforced here so be ready. They turned back men wearing shorts.Although most resorts have this dress code, it is the first time that we have seen it enforced.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
The pool were nice and clean although a little on the cool side. The beach was nice to walk along, but there is only a very small section at one end where you can swim. You can go in the ocean in other places if you want of course but it is very rocky and there are a LOT of sea urchins. I wouldn't recommend going in the water without wearing something on your feet.
Other Comments
We read other reviews on this resort before going and they said that they time share guys and the vendor was quite pushy. We didn't find this at all. All you have to do is politely say no thank-you and walk away. As for the vendors I thought they were very nice! As well as bargaining the price with them, you can also do trades. For instance they love; Buba Kegs, Ball Caps, Chocolate and clothes, as hese thing are all very expensive here. There is one particular vendor that we made friends with, his name is Melito and although he is only 39 years old he has 14 children! He got married when he was 17 and his wife was 16. What a different life they live! We gave him lots of stuff for his family and he was very appreciative. He also give very fair prices on what he sells.
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Eva ~ Canada |
March 2009
Arrival
We booked with Go Travel for the first time. The flight was good and arrived almost on time. We knew ahead of time that the ride from the airport would be long (90 mins) but it was interesting and the time passed quickly.
Our representative was not very informed about the Dominican. informed us that we were passing through Luperon village when in fact we were not. She was quickly corrected by the bus driver.
We arrived at the hotel at 1pm and had to wait until 3pm for the rooms to be available which was a bit of a Nuisance. I personaly did not get a room until 3:30pm. We were instructed to take a swim and look around the grounds so remember to pack a swimsuit in your hand luggage or somewhere where you have easy access.Don't forget to keep sunscreen in your checked luggage. We spoke to a couple who had sunscreen confiscated before flying and these items are very expensive in the hotel shop.
Rooms
The rooms are very basic, but it is definitely a 3 stay hotel. My balcony was rusty had inch wide gaps where it looked like it was detaching from the main building in places. I covered up the rusty parts by draping colourful, sarong type, skirts around the rust and it didn't bother me too much. The view,of the pool and a bit of ocean was quite nice. I had asked to change rooms but the reception staff were not very helpful so I decided to tough it out. The people in the next room to me changed buildings and said that they were happier with the new room. I found out near the end of the trip (Thursday)that the resort was two resorts combined, the Luperon and the Luperon Tropical, They are now treated as one large resort. I had paid for the Luperon Tropical but was put in The Luperon which ,I was told, was a less expensive part of the resort. It is a bit confusing. The room was kept clean but unlike other hotels that i had stayed in water is the only item provided, no soft drinks or beer are available for those who like to have these items cold in the fridge. You must go down to the poolside to fill up your water containers. I asked the cleaner if she would keep the fridge filled with water and she happily obliged. I gave her a good tip each day. By the end of the trip the room cleaner was the only person I was still tipping.
Restaurants and Bars
There is only one main Restaurant for buffet style dining. It is large and very, very, busy especially on weekends. The line-ups for food can get unbelievably long. The food is not bad, but is the worst quality food that I have eaten in the Dominican. I stayed mainly to fish, which was really quite good. My kids liked the lentil and roasted eggplant dishes. Everywhere in Dominican they seem to have perfected breakfast omelettes and here was no exeption. The eggs were done to perfection.
The dinig experience was a bit hit and miss. Often tables were not cleaned off and there were remnants of other peoples meals left on the table and tablecloths. It is very self serve and not very well organized. The waiters do not usually get water, coffee or drinks for you. Sometimes they did, but not very often.
The lunches at the beach side cafe style dining was good for a fast meal of pizza and chips or salad.There was wonderful fish served on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The line-ups were not too long if you get there early. I would be careful about what you eat because when we were there the cook was using the same utensils to put the raw chicken on the barbeque as he was to take the cooked chicken off. I must say we never had any stomach problems but we were careful.
There are a number of bars all appear to be understaffed and, at certain times, the line-ups can be brutal. Take a mug to store cold drinks in and save having to return often to fill up the tiny little plastic cups they serve drinks in.
There is only one more formal, type, dining restaurants it changes theme each night. You can book two meals in a one week stay. We chose Spanish and Mexican. The first visit was very nice. The Mexican food is not great but the service on the first night was very good relaxed and overall the best experience in dining that we had. The second visit was a disaster. For some unknown reason they were running late and could not get the 6:30 pm diners out before the 9pm diners arrived. Eventually they asked four or five of the tables to leave before they had served coffee. The request was refused by all the tables and we were served cold coffee and bitter looks. We had tipped well the first night but did not tip that night.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
The grounds are the best part of the resort. They are lovely and well kept. The poolside chairs were a bit grimy, but mid- week they had an inspection of some kind and the staff set to cleaning the chairs and the concrete floors. The whole place looked so much better after a good cleaning.
The activities pool near the theatre is the most used ,and least well kept, pool but it was not bad. The best pool is a bit hidden and it is in the Luperon Tropical section above the waterfall. It is wonderful and also very quiet. There are only a few chairs so it limit's the number of guests able to lounge around the pool. The view is, in my opinion, the best in the resort. We met some guests who had stayed at this resort ten years ago and confirmed what we had suspected; that the resort has gone downhill . It is a shame because it is a beautiful could be amazing. It was littered with cigarette ends and garbage but it must be hard to keep up with people who just disguard plastic cups and trash anywhere. It is the fault of the guests as well as the hotel staff. Maybe more waste recepticles could be located around the area and the guests requested to use them. The swimming area was small but adequate. The beachside venders are good to deal with; not too pushy.We bought quite a few items from them and enjoyed the bargining. You do feel safe and the security staff are always around ,so, walking around the resort is no problem
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
We did not go on any tours but my daughter went horseback riding which she really enjoyed. The horses are a bit bedraggled but did not seem unhappy. They take you to the Luperon harbour and she said that the views were spectacular. Some people in our group were complaining that they felt the catamaran tour they had gone on was a complete rippoff. A group of my daughters friends went on a waterfall tour. It was not offered by the hotel,and the tour guide stressed for us to stay away from off hotel tours, advice which i took, but my daughters friends said it was great.It was $10us per person and cost $90 us for a taxi to the falls. With six people sharing it is good value. You are helped to climb the up waterfalls but it sounds like too much risk and action for me. The animation team were quite good and involved those who wanted to be involved. They left the others alone. The shows at night were allright
Other Comments
If this had been the first time that we had visited the Dominican republic it would have been our only visit there is no way we would have gone back. Our past two trips had been wonderful and we expected the same for this. It is a cheap hotel. Most of the people we spoke to paid between $550 and $700 tax included for the weeks stay (booking online in the boxing day sales.) At this price you could not complain. We paid much more. For an extra couple of hundred dollars my advice is go to a better resort in the Dominican and have a much better experience. At the time we stayed I could have paid the same price to stay at a far superior hotel . We made the best of a bad trip but we will not return to Luperon It is a shame as the grounds are beautiful and the resort has a lot of potential. With some exeptions (including the room cleaner and a couple of bar-tenders)the staff are the least friendly that we have met in Dominican.Maybe they are just overworked? They are definately unhappy about something. We will return to the Dominican Republic just not to this resort.
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Leanne ~ Ontario, Canada |
March 2009
Arrival
When we arrived off the plane, there was a customer service desk out front at the airport telling each person which bus to board for what resort. We arrived at night and they had a coach bus take us to our hotel. After a 4.5 hour flight and a few drunk passengers, the bus was a bit rowdy and ready to start their vacation. The driver was a *little* crazy, but nothing like you hear about. The drive to the resort was long (around 90 minutes according to the brochure). But it was alright.
Rooms
I think for the most part the resort has nice clean rooms. However it was VERY full when we were there and we were in the last hotel in the back corner of the resort (23). It was a bit more outdated but still clean and spacious. The beds were a decent size, although a little lumpy. Pillows were a bit tiny and lumpy too but enough for sleeping. Our toilet wouldn't flush half the time, mostly because it wouldn't fill back up with water. So we used the shower hose. And the shower hose leaked at the top so water would squirt out. Although this all sounds negative, these were the worst of our problems and everything else was above and beyond fantastic. Overall the rooms were nice with patio doors and balcony's for each suite, and tv's (we found about 3 english channels - TBS, TNT). I honestly think our hotel was a bit neglected because it was one of the far ones. But the room was secure and comfortable, and had air conditioning. And I was impressed with the size of the rooms. Room service was also prompt and provided fresh towels everyday, and made the beds. Also, we paid about $17 and got the key to the room safe. We didn't use it the first day and everything was fine, but peace of mind is better and helps for a more relaxing vacation so I'd recommend it.
Restaurants and Bars
There were two options for eating - booking a dinner reservation, or eating at the buffet with everyone else. I think everyone gets one or two dinner reservations. We chose Italian night and Brazilian night. Brazilian was great - mainly different meats to try. Italian wasn't as great, but it was nice to have a special dinner away from the everyday buffet. The dinner restaurants were really nice with candlelight and everyone was required to dress up a bit. The only real buffet area was the main restaurant in the front (that we found or knew of). We ate there almost every meal. There was a great selection and chefs were there also preparing certain foods as you requested. The dessert selection was huge, and included many cakes, cookies, jello and ice cream. The bars were great too. The best one we found was also at the front of the resort. There seemed to be a bar near or by every swimming pool (4). So that helped. And also one by the beach a bit. I wasn't as crazy about their alcohol but the rum was the easiest to drink by-far. We never had to wait in line too long for a drink.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Pools were beautiful and well kept. Even though the resort was big, it never ever felt like any of the pools were over-crowded. Everything was pretty spread out and felt more private and spacious than crowded. The beach was nice and there were huts and chairs out for people to use. The grounds of the resort were beautiful with lots of nice foliage, plants, flowers and everything was well-maintained. Lots of nice fountains, ponds, and benches, etc. It was really pretty.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
The resort has lots of small activities to keep from getting too board. We tried water/beach volleyball, horseshoes, dancing lessons, water aerobics, etc. The resort offered horseback riding although they only had 3 times a day to go out, with only 6 spots per outing so they went FAST. You have to be in the lobby pretty much before the rep arrives in order to get in line to book these. It took us about 5 days of trying before we got in. But it was worth it - it's just over half an hour on a trail behind the resort and up the road. Very nice to do. We also did Ocean World. This place is massive but expensive! It cost us $115/pp plus $10 transfer from the hotel. This got us into the grounds and a chance to encounter the dolphins which was neat. But if you want to actually swim with them it's a $50 upgrade. Then any other encounters or swims are extra. And the photos are pricey too (5x7's start at 12.00 each). Included in the admission was snorkeling, feeding the birds and the bird sanctuary, animal shows (dolphin, sea lion, sharks, and birds), and other aquarium walk-through's. I'm glad we went to this because it was neat and helped to break up our week but I wouldn't go back - it was really nice but just too expensive.
Other Comments
I found a week was plenty of time here. I think with more than that I would've been bored. The festivities they have at the resort are pretty fun but can get repetitive after you've done a few. :) The staff are very friendly and helpful though. We had fun joking around with the entertainment staff, and they seemed to speak English well. I would go back again, it was a nice clean resort. Also to note, we booked with sell off vacations.com and with Nolitours. Our Nolitours rep was amazing! He was really helpful with questions we had, helping us book our excursion, and any problems we had (ie: toilet not flushing). And gave us an extra towel card when someone scooped ours. I can't say enough good things about him and would definitely book with them again over the "other" rep's company who wasn't quite so knowledgeable. Also, there were vendors along the beach selling souvenirs, but you had to barter with them. FYI, they do like "Canadian things" so if you can take some stuff with you, you could trade instead of paying cash (shampoo, clothes, etc.). When bartering, we found we could come down to about 20-30% of their starting price. There isn't a lot though in the way of souvenirs. The paintings are nice and there's some hand-made items, but most stuff you need to pick through. The resort also has some shops, but that doesn't include bartering. Their prices are lower than the vendors but higher than what you could barter for.
Overall, I would recommend this resort, for sure!
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Stephanie ~ Berkshire, UK |
October 2008
Arrival and Flight
Our flight was from London Gatwick on 24 September 08, arriving in Dominican Republic at about 4:00pm local time. Flight wasn't too bad, entertainment could have been better. The transfer from the airport seemed to take ages even though we only had two drop offs before ours. The road to Luperon is very long and a bit bumpy. Total transfer time was close to an hour and 30 minutes.
Rooms
The room was clean and bright, and had everything that we needed. We rarely watched the TV but when we did we were stuck with CNN! Lovely view from our balcony of the sea and the waterfall pool.
Restaurants
We only went to the "proper" restaurant once, because you have to book in advance and when we turned up the food took a while to come out and we were still eating at half 9. The rest of the time we just went to the buffet restaurant as the food was lovely, you didn’t have to wait for anyone and as soon as your done you can leave. The food was very similar to what you can get in the UK, we both ate very healthily over our two week break and I had actually lost weight by the time we got home!
Bars
The bars were always well looked after, and you never had to wait long to be served. The best bar has to be at the waterfall pool as you have a bar in the pool where you can swim up and sit on a bar stool in the pool, needless to say we spent a lot of time at that particular bar!
Beach and Pools
The second day on our holiday was a bit of a disaster, my best mate went into the sea and managed to stand on a sea-urchin, we ended up getting a taxi to Puerto Plata to go to the hospital to have the spines removed her feet . Thank goodness we had insurance! We spent the remainder of the holiday by the pool and steered well clear of the beach! Although saying that the beach itself was nice, lots of trees and shaded areas, very picturesque. The pools were amazing, as I mentioned above the waterfall pool was the best. We went during the hurricane season and therefore the resort wasn't overly busy. There were some "children" (and by this I mean teenagers making a name for themselves) who insisted on making as much mess and noise around the pool as possible, but your going to get that wherever you go.
Grounds
The grounds of the hotel were very well maintained. We were quite surprised to find a family of peacocks just wandering around, minding their own business! The paths were always clean and tidy and the plants well cared for.
Activities and Entertainment
My best mate isn't into activities and entertainment, her idea of a good holiday is to sit and sunbathe and the entertainment team respected that - we were left alone during the day which enabled us to chill out, which was the whole point of the holiday. However, I like getting involved and had great enthusiasm for the meringue dance lessons! The best thing about the activities at the resort has to be the horse riding, it is free although you do have to book. Saying that when I went I was the only person there so had a private horse riding session around the local area. I then went back the following morning for a 9am trip where we went riding along the beach in the white sand with the blue sea… it was amazing!
Tours
I went on Megatrucks (booked via Thomas Cook) and had an amazing time, we went into the local countryside and met some locals, tried the local alcoholic drink and purchased some hand made carvings. We also went horse riding (the highlight of the day for me!) and chilled out in hammocks at our own private beach - the whole day was amazing and definitely worth the money. The two of us also went to Ocean World (it took some persuading but my mate final gave in!). We paid to do the shark and stingray encounter because it was only an extra $15 added to the price of the entry fee. While we were taking photos of the dolphins my best mate was invited to be part of the show and got to swim with the dolphins for free! Ocean World is amazing and you should make ever effort to go.
Departure and Check Out
Our departure was 8 October 08, flight at 17:00 local time. Our bags were collected from our room, the transfer was on time and took us straight to the airport (45 minute journey). Our flight was delayed by half an hour purely because our plane hadn't arrived yet! We arrived back at Gatwick at 5:50 on Thursday 9th to then end up in a two hour traffic jam on the M25!
Conclusion
We had a fantastic holiday, every time I think of it I cant help but grin! It was the first holiday where I'd been away with my best mate and we had such an amazing time that while we were still on holiday we were planning our return trip! We are looking forward to going back to Dominican Republic in September 09 and plan on staying at the resort next to Ocean World in Puerto Plata. 10 out of 10!
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
John ~ UK |
July 2008
Arrival and Flight : Friday June 13th delayed four hours apparently first time this year any delay to this destination has occured Airline was Monarch, as I expected entertainment on the flight was very basic as opposed to Thomas Cook flight we took to Cuba last year which was exceptional.
Rooms : Basic but clean and adequate. Maid service every day and thorough and efficient.
Restaurants : Main restaurent buffet style good selection of tasty food for Breakfast and evening meal will suit everyone except the faddies who will never be happy.There are three snack bars near the bar on the beach serving delicious Pizza, battered fish and french fries, various pastas different on different days,Hamburgers,Hot Dogs,Fried Chicken, all available with salads. There is also a choice of delicious tropical fruits and ice cream for anyone just wanting a light lunch.The buffet restaurant is also open at lunch time but we did not try it as we were on the beach every day. There is also an a la carte resteraurnt which each guest can book twice a week with different theme nights every night. Service is good plenty of wine topped up as fast as you drink it and the food is tasty and well presented.
Bars : Beach bars and Pool bars open until 5pm main bar open all day service is good
Beach and Pools : Pools three in total large pools deepest 1.5 mtres clean and well kept.
Grounds : Flora and Fauna absolutely beautiful and well maintained all around the resort, tropical plants you would never see in the UK
Activities and Entertainment : Bit of a letdown the nightly entertainment consisted mainly on audiance participation therefore holiday makers entertaining holidaymakers. The animation team seemed to have no individual professional talent other than Latin dancing which they were very good at. Activities all throughout the day but entertainment team struggle to get participants as most people just want to chill out.
Tours : Not a huge variety but there would be at least one tour to suit individual tastes.
Departure and Check Out : Like check in fast and efficient by hotel reception remember to hand back in your beach/pool towels and exchange it for a receipt card as you need it to get a clearance chitty before departure.
Conclusion : This was listed as a three star hotel taking into account food,service,facilities,and staff I would rate it as a three star plus.The weather for the fortnight was excellent blue sky every day heavy shower only once lasted 15 minutes.I would have no doubts about recommending the Luperon Beach Resort but of course people have different levels of expectations and probably would not suit the more fussy holidaymaker who generally expect five star for a three star cost holiday. The time we were there the hotel was well under occupied which meant there was no problem getting sunbeds on the beach or around the pool (although there was still the odd a******e who got up early in the morning to put their towel on a sunbed probably never returning that day)The only time it was busy was Friday until Sunday when the hotel does short term breaks and the hotel fills with local Dominicans for the three days but the services took the extra guests well in their stride and coped well. There is a ten dollar entry tax and twenty dollar exit tax so make sure you take american dollars as my sister in law did not and they do not accept sterling at immigration.They accept dollars in the airport shops and in the resorts so that would be the prefered currency to take although you would get your change in dominican pecos.Remember your Dominican pecos are no good anyware except in the Dominican Republic.
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Lori ~ Calgary/Toronto
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April 2008
Flight
We used Westjet departing from Toronto. It is a LONG flight. We had a lunch included and it wasn’t half bad. Westjet has a map on the TV to show you where you were, and seeing as I am a Science/Geography sorta girl I really enjoyed that. We flew overtop Lake Ontario and Michegan. It was during the daytime and the view was awesome.
Arrival
The sun was setting when we landed and by the time we got out of the airport it was dark. The sun sets very quickly in the Dominican. We used Nolitours for our vacation and they had buses there to take us to the hotel. The driver was insane as are all drivers in the DR apparently, and our guide stopped to grab us some beer for the road. Presedente is a good pale beer but it tastes AWEFUL when its warm. When we got to the resort, we had to leave our luggage for someone to bring up to us. Start tipping early, or you will wait a very long time for your stuff. Also, purchase a safe key and get a tv remote while you’re checking in.
Rooms
The rooms apparently only come with two beds. They are big enough for two people, though, so we used our other bed for our luggage and stuff. The rooms are not too bad. Sometimes we couldn’t get any hot water and our patio door didn’t close properly. Also, the damn peacocks kept getting on the roof and making a ruckus. Air conditioning was godly at times. Maids are nice up do not speak much English. Friends of ours, left their Do Not Disturb sign up by accident and the maid made us take their towels, even though we told her they really weren’t in their room. All the buildings have slightly different styles of furniture. My boyfriend’s mother found a cockroach in her room.
Restaurants
We arrived in the evening and we were told to get to dinner before it was over at 9:30. They didn’t tell us where to go, but it is right close to the lobby. We showed up to dinner and were greeted with very negative attitudes from the people working at the buffet. The boys were wearing wife beaters and us girls were wearing summer dresses and sandals. We were told that next time we showed up in open toed shoes or wife beaters/shoulders exposed we would not be let in. However, we noticed throughout the week that everyone else was wearing things like that too. Im pretty sure they just didn’t like us because we were all about 20 years old. This was our first trip out of Canada and this night did not leave a very good taste in our mouths for the rest of the week.
Later on in the week we met a man named Barnardo who worked in the buffet. We was the nicest and most polite person in the entire resort. If you meet him, tip him well. He can bring you candles, ash trays and drinks not typically available in the buffet. For drinks there is OJ fruit punch and red and white wine. If you start to miss your North American drinks, the stores sell pop, Gatorade etc. BOOK YOU’RE A LA CARTE DINNERS ASAP! BOOK YOU’RE A LA CARTE DINNERS ASAP! If you don’t, chances are you will not get a reservation. We were too late and ALL of the restaurants were full. Although, I heard just outside the resort there is a great place to get Chicken or Lobster.
Bars – Now I am not much of a drinker, but even I didn’t like the bar situation. There are two swim up bars, but its really hard to get someone to serve you there! And they are only open until 4pm along with the bar at the beach. So after 4pm, the only place you are going to get a drink is at the main pool by the front or the disco. I also found that my drinks were always too weak or too strong. The don’t have tequila…
Beach and Pools
One evening we were sitting on our patio and we noticed that the pools were being chlorinated. Disturbing as this may seem, after everyone leaves the pools for the day the staff load barrels and barrels of chlorine into the water. We didn’t visit the pools much after that. Admittedly, the pools aren’t bad. There were shallow ends and deeper ends. Lots of lounge chairs available. The beach is where its at though. Our first night we found a starfish but we threw it back in because it was still alive. My boyfriend found another a few mornings later. We water is awesome and if your lucky you can get some awesome waves going. If your adventurous, go out kayaking. You will enhoy it, I promise. You can also go inner tubing. Just talk to the guys at the boat and kayak station. (its free).
Grounds
GAH! PEACOCKS everywhere!!!! There are also a few flamingos. They make quite an interesting sound. Overall the grounds are fairly nice. There is a place just up from the beach where at lunch you can get a hamburger, hot dog, pizza, fish and chips etc. There are usually vendors along the beach. They will try to sell you things for “cheapy cheapy” if you get something, you really shouldn’t pay too much more than half of their original price. I bought a turtle from a guy for like $15 and at the airport they sell them for like $8.
Activities and Entertainment
Like I mentioned, kayaking and inner tubing at the beach is awesome. If you travel down to where you exchange your towel and book to go horseback riding, there is an outdoor amphitheatre and I heard some nights the staff put on some entertainment there. There was a hairdresser up in the little shopping complex that braided my hair. She did a better job than the ones on the beach but when she cut my boyfriends hair it was severely uneven and she knicked him with a razor. Be careful.
Tours
With Nolitours we went to Paradise Island. It is a 2.5 hour bus ride and then a 30 min powerboat ride to this island. It is very close to Haiti, who is in the middle of a civil war right now. Sometimes the island is too submerged in water and the trip may have to be postponed. Ours wasn’t but we met a couple of girls who were returning because of a postponement. There are a few little bars, but it is limited what you can get. There is no shade so for the love of god PUT ON SUNSCREEN. I am very pale and I was wearing SPF 30 and I still burned. Snorkling the reef on this island was great, we saw many different types of fish and my boyfriends brother thought he saw a barracuda. Lunch is included on the shore. You’ll notice that the cats here are starving so try and save them a bit. My boyfriend’s mother put her plate on the ground for the cats. This is a bit insulting to the chief, so try to just hand feed them. It was amazing to see the poorer side of things out here. We had some candy on the bus with us and when we stopped in the villages we gave nearby children some suckers. This makes them very happy. In the towns, you can see that some people are fairly well off (nice car, bars on entries, nice structures) and others are very poor (shanties for houses, domestic dogs running wild thin as bones).
We also visited Ocean World . My parents did this the month before we went, so we knew it was going to be great. You can choose to swim with the dolphins, or swim with the rays and sharks. We swam with the dolphins and it was amazing. We touched them, kissed them and held their fins while they swam. It is completely worth the money you pay to go! You may notice a booth by the food court for the Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club. They will ask you if they can take you on a tour. It is a tour of the resort directly beside ocean world. It is a 5.5 star luxury resort. You can buy a membership to be given preferential treatment at this resort including first dibs on the accommodations (1 or 2 bedroom suites, penthouses or 3-6 bedroom private villas) VIP pool, VIP beach, VIP restaurants you get the drift. It is basically a time share, but not, because you wont always get the same villa and others can use it while you’re not there. I bought a membership, but if you are not interested, don’t waste their time.
Departure and Check Out
I was told by a friend that the pool towels have to be returned to redeem your ticket and if you don’t have that ticket, you will be charged for the towels. However, we didn’t return ours for the ticket and we didn’t get charged. Make sure you have your reservation papers on you, it is a lot easier to get your plane tickets home if you have it. You also have to fill in a declaration of goods before you re-enter Canada. You are not allowed to bring back any remnants of endangered species (i.e. CORAL!!!) and you are only allowed a certain number of cigars and liquor. Find out about this before you try to re-enter Canada.
Conclusion
Well, as you must already know, this is a 3.5 star hotel. Its not great, but it sure is cheap. It is very child friendly as well, so if you have kids, this may be the perfect place for you. I personally would not go back, because I prefer higher quality food and drink and an atmosphere that I would feel safe walking around in alone. From now one I am going to the Hacienda Resort beside ocean world. Luperon is a good party place, but I go on vacation to relax. If you have any questions about my trip feel free to email me at lorelei_pflanzer@hotmail.com . Take care and enjoy your trip!!
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Jane |
April 2008
First time to DR and it was fantastic!!
Hotel was superb, very clean, gorgeous grounds and all the staff very friendly.
Went all inclusive and the only slight on it all was I would have liked to see more local food on offer, but as there was a huge choice anyway I cant really complain.
All the trips were great value for money, and even got to see the Humpback whales which was the icing on the cake!
Lovely beaches, the only advise I would give is to take some swimshoes, as sea urchins & rocks can be quite painful!
Lots of wildlife in the grounds, just beware of monster mosquito's.
Would definately go back to this hotel again - several times!!!!
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Eva ~ Montreal, Canada |
March 2008
An amazing place. Great weather, great accommodations, great people. Lots of fun and excitement, warm and welcoming atmosphere, friendly staff. Two thumbs up for the ANIMACION team, they are fantastic ! Each show is organized with lots of skill and imagination.
After 2 weeks at Luperon I will recommend it to anyone and can't wait to go back !
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Terri |
March 2008
We have been to the dominican republic about 7 or 8 times now and find this resort the best. In fact we have tried afew different resorts but find this hotel beats them all the staff are so friendly from management right down to the gardeners.
The rooms are clean, comfortable and very well looked after by the maids, The grounds are well kept, The food is well presented, hot and lots of variety and the entertainement staff are brilliant, they work so hard (as do all the staff here) making there own costumes, stage sets etc and the shows are great & very entertaining.
There are all sorts of things to do whilst you are here if you want to take part in the daily programmes or you want can just relax at one of the other pools or the beach which is lovely and very clean.
There is also added bonus of going horse riding for about 40 mins a day and the banana boat ride for free, (may i add the fact that the horses are not badly treated and are fed & well cared for) also you get given free cigarettes at the bar and sometimes around the resort and on the beach when there is a man with a basket giving out cigarettes which is all part of their all inclusive package which i think is brilliant idea if you smoke!!!!!
We personally cannot see why anyone could give a bad reviews about this hotel, unless they are expecting a 5 star service and only want to pay the cost of a 3 and half rating which this hotel is.
We think this hotel is good value for money with warm and friendly staff that will go out of their way to help you and make your holiday a pleasent one and have recommended it to lots of our family and friends who also said that the loved it here.
We just want to say a BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE AT THIS HOTEL for making our holidays ones to remember.
Keep up the good work and we will be seeing you again next month.
Stayed Oct 2006 - March 2007 and will be there again April 2008
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Patricia |
March 2008
I had a wonderful two week vacation at this hotel. Nothing to complain about. I read a review about the horses being thin and mistreated but my experience - I went riding three times a day - is that they were well-fed and cared for. The majority are a little lazy, as trail horses every where are, but if you can ride you tell Balerio and Ramon and they will give you one of the horses that enjoys a good run!
Food was copious and decent with enough choice to keep you interested. the staff are all friendly and helpful. I will be back!
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Monique ~ Canada |
October 2007
I'm not going to go into alot of detail.
We travel approx 8 times per year. This was the worst vacation we ever had.
Believe the other reviews regarding poor service, no reception staff from midnight to 7 am. Filthy rooms, broken toilets, and on and on and on.
This was actually our first rip to the Dominican Republic. Because of this awful experience, it will be our last. I will never spend another dime there.
We travel with a very open mind, but the many problems at this resort were even too much for us.
Spend your money somewhere else.
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Sue & Mel ~ UK |
May 2007
Just returned from Luperon Beach Resort - stayed for 17 nights April 27-May 14.
Had an absoluterly wonderful time - its a lovely resort, full of flowers, beautiful birds, a fantastic beach.
The only downside is the rooms are in need of a bit of refurbishment but the friendly staff and good food and drink more than make up for it.
The animacion team are fantastic - especially Felix who goes out of his way to make you feel welcome.
To get the most out of this holiday I would recommend that you get involved in the games and get to know the animacion staff - they really are a fantastic team. The shows they put on at night are extremely good and very entertaining.
We were very sad to leave and it was very hard to say goodbye to the animacion team.
We will be returning later on this year!
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Mindy & Vince |
May 2007
Date of Travel: April 13 - 27, 2007
Tour Company: Nolitours
Ages: 37, 39, 11, 7
We're from London, Ontario, and had read all the reviews before we left, so we went with an open mind, simply wanting warm weather and a beach. We got such a great deal, we were surprised at how nice the trip actually was.
We took Air Transat, which was fantastic in comparison to most airlines. We paid the extra fee to be able to choose our seats. It was well worth it, because we got to sit together, and we were close to the washrooms (kids have smaller bladders), and the TV's. Food was included on the flight, as were non-alcoholic beverages. Earphones for the radio and TV were only $1.
There is an hour and a half bus ride from the Puerto Plata airport to Luperon Beach Resort. Look at it as a way to see the countryside. The busdrivers are scary, but friendly, and it was actually a fun ride (kind of like taking a roller coaster). The mountains are beautiful, and the people are very friendly and wave as you drive by. You also get to see how the people live when not on the resort. Busride is included in the Nolitours package.
The resort itself is a lot nicer than we expected. We had asked for an oceanview room, but were upgraded to a junior suite with an ocean view. It was fantastic, there was a triple-wide patio door leading to a beautiful deck, a king-sized bed, a big bathroom with a soaker tub. There was also a "sitting" room with a roll-out couch, which we used for the kids. We had electricity, hot water, working air conditioning, great water pressure, and our room was clean. Our TV also worked. From many of the reviews I read, I wasn't quite sure what to expect as there was a vast difference of opinion.
The food was great, there was lots of variety. We ate mostly at MichaelAngelo's (the Buffet) and the beach snack bar. We didn't bother signing up for the a la carte restaurants as were happy with the buffet. The snack bar on the beach had thin crust wood-oven baked pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, fried chicken, and pasta. We didn't much care for the burgers or hotdogs, but everything else was tasty. The bars served great "Bahama Mamas" and "Pina Colada's". We are all very picky, and still had lots to choose from that we enjoyed. No one was sick even for a day.
Things to point out:
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Bring American money and get lots of it broken into $1's and $5's for tipping. You run through it quickly when you tip the maid, the Entertainment team, the bartenders, the servers, the busdrivers, the bell boys, etc. You don't have to tip them, but they give such great service, you may find that you really want to, I did. I found it really hard to get small bills once I was down there. Also, they prefer American to Canadian, so bring more rather than less, the exchange rate is much higher when you have to convert from Cdn to American down there.
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The travel agents and front desk advise you to change some currency to Dominican pesos for the gift shops, beauty shop, etc. DON'T!! No one wants the local currency, they all want American and will give you better deals for it. Even the gift shops and the beauty shop want American. Plus, you can't switch the pesos back when you go to leave.
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Beach Vendors have awesome wears. Just wait a few days before you buy anything, so you can see what others paid. I bought 6 necklaces the first day for $40 American and thought I got a great deal, only to find out later that another lady on the resort bought 3 for $10. In other words, she paid 1/2. You can buy a box of cigars and 2 bottles of rum for $40 American, which is an excellent deal. Again, the first time I bought them, I paid $60, and then went back to get more 2 days later and paid $20 less. If you buy the cigars, go for the Monte Christo's, they are worth a lot more. Buy souvenirs, cigars and cigarettes from the street vendors or in Luperon, the duty free at the airport is way more expensive, as are the gift shops at the resort.
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If you plan to fish, bring your own rods with you, they are incredibly expensive to buy when you're there (I had to rent 2 sad-shaped rods from a guy at the Marina for my kids for $20 American for 4 hours). The only other option was to take them out on the boat for almost $300 per person.
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See the shows at night, they're a lot of fun.
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If you bring kids, make sure you bring books, cards, or games for them to do in case of rain. There are not many English channels on TV (we counted 3), and these are mostly geared towards adult (one channel played Law & Order almost all day which was great for my husband and I, but not the kids).
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Definitely bring water shoes to swim in the ocean. It's beautiful and we really enjoyed swimming, but there are lots of rocks and if you go snorkelling you can see that there are sea urchins everywhere.
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Make sure you do not bring back more than the allotted weight in luggage when returning to Canada as you have to pay $10 per kilo. We did not realize we were over, and had to pay $70 on the return flight, and most of the people who returned on the same flight had to pay extra, so be careful.
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Don't drink the tap water, use the water brought in my the maid as it's purified. If you run out, you can get more from the bar and the restaurant.
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Ice cubes were okay in our drinks, we all used them and no one was ill.
The activities were fun, we partook in the archery, horseback riding, tennis, table tennis, and pool volleyball. The only comment I have on the horseback riding, is that the horses are not well taken care of. They are very thin, dirty, and they have welts on their backsides from where the "guide" uses willowbranches to hit them. Some were raw and bleeding and we all felt really guilty riding them.
There are some really nice people who try to get you to go to the Timeshare presentation. In fact, they will hound you until you agree to go. We went just so they could get their commission, but actually found that we were interested, so we signed up. We saw the same presentation in Florida 3 years before for $18,000 that we were being offered for less than $3,000 here. Now, we are booking a cottage for 2 weeks in the summer in the Muskokas at 1/4 of the cost we would have normally paid, so it was worthwhile. Hint: Research RCI and Westland Vacation & Investment before you go to see if it's something you'd be interested in. The whole presentation was less than 1/2 an hour (if you ask Carlos to fast-track it). If you're not interested, tell them up front you know about it but don't have the $$$, that's the only way they'll leave you alone.
The people that worked at the resort were fantastic, and the entertainment team was truly the best. I appreciate the fact that they took the time to include my children and joke around with them. We went during the off-season when not many other kids were around, so getting attention from the staff made them feel welcome.
There were locals at the resort every weekend, and sometimes throughout the week, but for us, it was a bonus. We met some new people, they were very warm and friendly, and we now have some new friends. I did not find that the staff gave them preferential treatment, they may have spoken with them more, because they both speak the same language, but not from a service standpoint. I speak a little Spanish, and my husband's Italian, so we were able to muddle through the conversations with the locals. If you bring an English-Spanish dictionary, you're golden. My son speaks neither, but he made friends with a little guy from Santiago, DR and words didn't seem important to them. I hope you have as great a time as we did, it was a trip we'll remember fondly for a very long time.
We'd definitely go back.
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May 2007
My best friend and I (we're both ladies), have just returned from a one week all-inclusive stay at the Luperon Beach Resort (May 2007). We are both 29 years old and took this vacation as a "girls holiday." We were apprehenisve at first at how far away from the airport the resort was, but that only helped us to observe some of the local culture. Upon arrival at the resort we were greeted with friendly smiles and given a decent amount of information. I would advise you to ask for your lock box key upon check-in and also for an extra key. The keys become de-magnitized often.
Our room was not 5 star material, but defintiely clean enough and suited our purposes. It did not have a shower curtian and we foolishly thought that was Dominican culture, so never asked for one--it made showering interesting and a bit messy.
The food was ok, coffee tasted like mud, but we certainly got enough to eat and drink. The servers were pleasant as were most of the bartenders. Many of the employees spoke at least a little English, which was helpful. The beach was a bit rocky, but there were more than enough sandy places for swimming and the vendors were not too pushy.
We also went on the Paradise Island Tour--well worth the $100. It is a full day trip, but the guides will treat you right with the continuous drinks, foods, and sites were fabulous. We were very impressed with the cordination of the event.
As two single ladies, it was nice ot have entertainment and activities available to us. By far, the Animation Team, was our favorite!! We'd like to give BIG "aplauso" to Rafael, Elvin, Jochy, Moses, Grisella,...actually we loved all of them! The shows were fantastic and we both learned how to dance Domincan style.
Please tip the employees they all go above and beyond and make very little money. We took care of the folks who helped us out the most at the end of the week and not on a daily basis. If you see bad reviews--please ignore them. True, it is not a 5 star place, but VERY worth the very inexpensive cost. All in all, we had an absolute blast and can't wait to visit again! --All inclusive baby!
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Wayne ~ Nova Scotia |
April 2007
We just returned after a great week from 4th to 11th April at Luperon, we stayed at this resort 4 years ago when they had the carribbean kitchen ceilidh and was impressed with the improvements. The room was freshly painted, there was lots of hot water and no plumbing problems. The bathrooms throughout the resort were very clean as was the beach and grounds.
The staff were just as friendly as they were 4 years ago, hard working and Felix on the entertainment team was a big hit!
We have stayed in 5 resorts in D.R., from 31/2* to 5* and dollar for dollar the value at Luperon is excellant.
The staff who live around the town of Luperon certainly want the resort to succeed which is evident in their attitude towards their guests.
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Canada |
April 2007
Our travel time was April 1st-8th 2007. My boyfriend and I booked this vacation 2 days before leaving as a trip we were supposed to take was cancelled. Our requirements were all inclusive, including air, being somewhere hot, 3 stars or more, leaving on the date we already had booked off work, and for under $1200.
This was the least expensive 7 day vacation I could find anywhere ($1162.00 Canadian after taxes) May I say it was worth it and I spoke to no one who paid less than us. It had rained for 3 weeks before we went down but it only rained twice on our vacation. Now here are some points I would like to make.
If you don't want to be on a vacation where locals may be there do not book on a holiday in that country. For the last 2 days of our vacation it was Easter (in Dominican as well and apparently that is a bigger holiday then their Christmas) The Beach was packed with locals the last
2 days as all the beaches are public, the security was stacked up though and I didn't see a tiny bit of a problem, infact I think I have seen way more problems on a long weekend at Wasaga Beach in Ontario, or Grand Bend.
The vendors are all numbered and do not bug you if you just say no gracious no, and they're are not many of them.
The staff does serve the locals first (but what ever so it takes you 3 minutes to get a drink its still not like waiting in a college town bar for 1/2 an hour to get a drink and its all inclusive)
The water is puralized except out of the tap (but BRING IMMODIUM, something gave me the runs for a day and a half till some sweet woman we had met gave me some immodium)
Bring Water Shoes (there is alot of coral except in one place on the beach but the beach is HUGE so if you bring water shoes you dont have to be near anyone)
The people of Dominican only make about $120 US a month, so all inclusive or not please tip a bit. We tip our servers why should we not tip our servers in another country. We didn't tip on every drink we tipped on about one of 3, $1US. We also found some good servers and gave them $5/each when we felt necessary
Also nice to leave $1/US on each pillow or each bed for the cleaning ladies
Any presents are nice too as it is a poor country but you have to write down who they are for and an exact description. the staff are checked every day on their way in and out to make sure they havn't taken anything. I think we left about $80 in total for all our tips through out the week. They deserved it they work about 15hour days there
Bring suntanlotion Fool, I saw a guy with 3rd degree burns. There is an aloe tree out front if you get a little toasty but if you are prone to burns bring aloe stuff the stores are very expensive
Anything a vendor tries to sell you drop what you will pay down to 1/3 and work up from there. You can probably get about 3 or 4 neclaces for $15
Do not order a white russian (they are made with some I don't know buttermilk or cream, not the milk we are used too very grose)
The pools are awesome, the pool table sucks but its right beside the pool. If you like playing pool bring chalk it seems to go missing for days at a time. For that matter if you have your own cue, bring it)
The tennis courts are not lit at night ever (or we'rnt when we were there so if you like tennis wake up early, and bring lots of water the rackets are located in the excersize room)
We were in buiding 17th, in room 17319 top floor corner room. It was a good room, no leaks, clean, view of the pool and ocean as well as partial view of the night time enteraintment (loud until the disco closes though)
Rent a scooter its $5/hr and you can take it into town or just drive around You can walk to the marina its about 15 min from the resort and a nice walk Their beer is good "Presedante" its better in the bottle but then you have to buy it from the store but its only $4 for a BIG bottle so worth it if you are going to hang out in your room later. Put a few in the fridge.
Don't be an ass and put your stuff on a lounge chair near the pool and leave it there all day, we incountered this with someone and I told them to go read the sign. They told me that I stole their chair while they were at lunch and that they had gotten up early and put their stuff on the sign. Rediculus, just cause you pay to stay at the resort does not mean you own a chair everyone else is on vacation too, be courteous.
You have to be up at 7am at the Davinci buffet room to get a seat for the a la carte dinner. I was there at 7:18 one morning and all the spots were taken. Try to go to an a la carte dinner at least once though, its worth it.
The chicken is awesome slow cooked and seasoned like swiss chalet, pineapple and grapefruit also delicious. The breakfast buffet is good I suggest you get an omlet made cause they are freshest no matter what time you go.
Cigarettes are free at the bar 2 at a time but they are stale so I suggest buying some
The entertainment staff were funny, listen for someone who calls everyone Mr.Boombastic, and always says asta la vista baby, and ay baby, Mr.Lover Lover
Have fun, I enjoyed my trip but would probably not return but thats just cause I want to see the world not just one place.
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Cindy |
March 2007
My husband and I and our two children, ages 10 and 7, stayed at Luperon beach Resort in the middle of February. We left Canada with much trepidation after reading the reviews of the resort posted here. To our delight, the resort was beautiful! The grounds were well kept, the staff friendly and accommodating, the food much better than Cuba, and the rooms clean and spacious. Because we had our children with us, we requested an adjoining room. Unfortunately, none were available upon arrival. However, after several visits to the front desk for two days, Quintana, the desk manager, gave us two adjoining suites complete with jacuzzi tubs. Polite persistence pays in spades. The entertainment staff was a hoot and the pools and beach front well kept. If you are looking to snorkel you may be disappointed as the area in front of the resort contains only a few very small fish.
My advice is if you are looking for a five star resort and Canadian-style food, stay home. Luperon Beach Resort is a three plus star hotel and the prices reflect the quality. This is a lovely country, but it is a developing country none-the-less. Therefore, you can expect the Dominicans to serve you with a smile and offer you the best they have. You can't get what they don't have. We have traveled to many Caribbean countries and were pleasantly surprised with this resort.
We would certainly return in the future.
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Canada |
March 2007
We had a great time in March 2007- weather was perfect, a breeze blowing NE every day kept things from being too muggy.
The resort is being refurbished at present- our building # 14 was in so-so shape-it's next to be fixed up- but the AC worked and the view was good.
Nothing fancy but adequate. We paid a bit extra for the "Superior"
water-view room. Get a 3rd floor room if possible for the breeze and view.
The fridge was handy. The beds are firm and very comfortable.
The resort is well laid out- lots of quiet places to get away with a book.
Food was fine, nothing fancy. Booze wads as expected-the Coco Locos , Luperon Specials and Banana Daiquiris are worth the price of admission.
There are plans to dredge more of the coral from the west end of the beach, where we swam to avoid the crowd at the roped-off beach on the eastern end.
Some topless bathing, a few locals hanging about -no problems with either.
The sand is smooth, and we know our sand- we're from PEI...
Most people hung around the pools and bars all day- lots to do at the activity bar & pool - Tai Chi, water polo, aqua fitness etc.
We didn't bother much with the activities or the entertainment- we went for the sun and surf and were not disappointed.
The internet-$2 American for 15 minutes- was antiquated.
A great spot for birdwatchers-lots of woodpeckers and warblers at the
resort- and I saw an owl early one morning when walking into the town of Luperon. I highly recommend going into the town- 20-25 minute walk, or a
$4 cab ride.
No hassles from the locals, and worth seeing how they live.
Make sure to get the security guards a Pepsi and a few (free) cigarettes from the bar- they appreciate it.
We left $1 Am. for the maid every morning, and tipped the bartenders & waiters a $1 now and then as well- always appreciated.
I can see how some people might be put off by the 1 1/2 hr bus ride to and from the airport- but look at it as a way of seeing the countryside.
We left at 6:45 a.m. on the last day- no breakfast available until 7 a.m.
and the promised cold-breakfast did not materialize.
In general the staff was accomodating, maybe not as pleasant as in Cuba.
We'd give this resort the thumbs up as long as you're not paying top price- a good solid 3 star + resort.
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January 2007
Please don't believe the negative reviews. This is a great place. A few counter thoughts to some of the reviews:
* the taxi ride to the resort is long and drivers are nuts but it was fascinating. We never felt in danger and we were well introduced to the towns on the coast.
* Yes, the beach is rocky. Wear water shoes and you'll have no problem. It's absolutely gorgeous and we played in the water all day.
* There are some problems with the rooms ie the toilet doesn't flush all the time. No big deal. The maid service was excellent, friendly and I never felt that my things weren't secure for a minute.
* Go to paradise island, try scuba diving, visit Luperon. The activities are wonderful.
* The shows are terrible and for that reason- a lot of fun. We laughed hard at the lip syncing Blues Brothers
*There was a tremendous choice at the buffet. Lots of meat- not so good for vegetarians but all very good.
* We had absolutely no problem with the Dominicans visiting the resort. They did not hoard food, they did not take any of the pool or beach loungers and they were always polite. We met a player who is playing in the minor leagues in the Angels organization. My boys threw some baseballs with him.
* Have fun- enjoy- the Dominican people are friendly and terrific.
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Tina ~ Alberta, Canada |
January 2007
Our 2 week visit was from Dec 17 - Dec 31, 2006
We were a group of 6 for holidays during the Christmas season. Upon arrival we were to be in a 2 bedroom suite. It was under renovations and we were upgraded to 3 junior suites for the 6 of us. We all were overjoyed. We found all the staff helpful and friendly. After they get to know you the more social they are with you and remember what you are drinking!! The weather was hot and sunny with a cool ocean breeze in the background. We had 2 days of rain & thunderstorms within our 2 week visit. In this time never once did we have a power outage. I heard this was common and never had even one. Only 1 morning I woke up to no water. I had water shortly there after. We had no other shortage of water.
The food was good but not flavourful like we are used too. I went with an open mind and set out to have a great time. I totally did. I was sad after our 2 weeks came to an end. One thing I didn't like was you had to be up at 7am to get your name in for that evenings a la carte restaurant. First off: when on holidays who wants to be up by 7am to put your name in (especially if you were up until 2am dancing at the disco) and Second: a couple time we put our name in at 7:10 am and the a la carte's were already booked full. One morning a member of our group was waiting in line at 6:30am along with 30 others! So that kind of sucked.
The 3 pool area's are good and clean but they could use more lounges around the pool. One pool has a waterfall with a swim up bar, another basic pool in the main common area then a 3rd pool in the lower grounds area. This is where most of the days activities happen with water sports and games. I enjoyed the 3rd pool area as there was more action and music playing during the day. The beach area is quite large and there is lots of space to lay around. Some parts have some rocky area's. But overall the ocean & beach area are good.
The entertainment staff was excellent. They all are fantastic dancers and it was amazing to watch them. The first few times they ask you to dance with them was nerve racking, but after a few days of dancing with them it was so much fun. Definitely by the end of the first week they knew you by name and with us being there for 2 weeks all the more they asked you to dance, they would visit & sit with you and get you to participate in the evening shows. My favourite entertainment staff members were Felix, Lorenzo, Ishmael and Kenya. If you want to do some good dancing with a great partner find Felix or Ishmael!! Every evening from 11pm - 2am the entertainment staff would be at the disco. They would be there dancing with everyone. It was the best part of my trip. The disco should have a minimum age limit of 16 years and older. We did see kids as young as 10 -12 years old inside wondering around - a place they should not be. The dancing is in good fun but it is very adult dancing. If you happen to be a single female (such as I) you will love the guys!
I would recommend this resort if you are wanting fun, relaxation and a casual standard hotel. If you want to be pampered and be in the luxury of high class -this hotel isn't for you. Overall, had tons of fun and have great memories of it.
Happy Travels!!
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Jeff ~ Quebec city, Canada |
January 2007
We enjoyed our 7 night stay (dec 25-jan1 06) at this hotel. I was expecting something very basic and maybe some problems( based on different web site reviews and forums). We were very pleased with everything.
* Weather was just perfect
* Sea is rocky but warm, water is clear, waves are fun. With beach shoes:
no problem
* Beach is wide and with lots of shady spots.
* Grounds are beautifull and the hilly lay out gives beautifull sea views.
* Glory days of this resort are probably behind it: some buildings are closed, most a la carte restaurants are abandonned. Everybody has to eat at the 2 buffets and in one small a la carte divided in two areas with distinctive menus. We ended up eating early to avoid rush hour.
* Good choice of food but repetitive. New years eve buffet was great with lobster, shrimps, etc. Easily comparable with a Cuban 4 star resort.
* We were in building number 5 with a second floor corner room: huge clean room with a separate seating area and a great ground and sea view. Great location since it is close to everything. Only complain is about the very bad smell coming out of the vent grids. We did not use the AC. When we were in the room, we kept the blacony door and the window in the seating area opened which created a breeze in the room and cleared the bad smell.
Also nice to sleep with the sound of the waves in background.
* Surprisingly 4 good shape tennis courts: 2 of concrete and 2 naturals.
Most 4 and 5 star resorts bigger than Luperon's only has 2 tennis courts.
* Staff was polite and easy to deal with.
* For the price we paid during the Holidays, I would be embarrased to complain about anything.
* Since our goal was to do no activities except tennis and to rest, this place was a very good place to please us.
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Katy |
October 2006
I went to this resort the beginning of october and wow what a place to stay. The people are so friendly and happy. We were there for 2 weeks and it was an amazing vacation, the weather was great and the resort had everything we wanted.
Almost as soon as we arrived we had made friends with the bar staff and the entertaintment team, they all work so hard.The best ones are Felix, Lorenzo, and Ricardo. Oh my god Ismael what a dancer. The resort photographer was a lovelly guy to, once you take the chance to get to know him, very talented.
All facilities were excellent and the daytime activities were great. I would recommend this resort to everyone, if you are looking for a relaxing and enjoyable rest.
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Martina and Viliam ~ Slovakia |
August 2006
Hi there, we just came back from our vacation in Luperon Beach Resort near Puerto Plata - stayed there for 7 days starting 4.8.2006. Just wanted to let everybody know that we had a wonderfull time, the food was georgeous - my boyfriend after his dinner always said he is looking forward to next breakfast :)) rooms were very clean, we had absolutely no problem with the water. maybe we expected more about the beach, because there were lots of stones and corals, but it couldn`t change our minds anyways. the staff was so friendly and nice, and the animating team was just wonderfull - we had really lots of fun with them. If you guys will sometimes go there, please ask for Lorenzo and Ricardo and give them best regards from Martina and Viliam from Slovakia (just say Slovakia, they will know who you are talking about for sure :) I only can recommend this hotel to everybody. See you there
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
WO ~ Nova Scotia, Canada |
May 2006
We arrived at the Luperon Resort April 24, 2006. It is a beautiful resort and it seems like they are doing some work at updating it. There were eight of us in our party and we met several other NEW friends while we were there. We all agreed we would not return to the Luperon especially on that weekend. Apparently this is their Labor Day weekend and on Saturday there were approximately 300 Local residents that joined us at the resort for the weekend (3 bus loads). We could not get a seat in the Buffet, the children were eating food off the plates and if they didn't like it they would put it back on the plate. We found them very rude and would come along and grab chairs we were using without asking, among other things. The young men made the young girls we were with feel very uncomfortable as they would literally glare at them from head to toe no matter who was watching them. It was a very uncomfortable situation. We were also told by Venders on the beach (who actually were a big part of the fun we had on our trip) to not leave anything laying around to make sure someone was always watching our stuff on that weekend. From the moment the local residents arrived we had no hot water for the rest of our trip and would call the desk to find out what was going on but that fell on deaf ears and we did not find the staff all that friendly or cooperative there. They almost made you feel like you were a bother when you asked them anything. At one point some of the people we were with did not even have water at all. When you pay that much money to go on a trip you do not expect this kind of stuff to happen. Apparently the residents are allowed on the resort at any time but I guess this is their big weekend that they save for all year. They would laugh at the other guests as they were always in groups and made ALOT of the guests feel very uncomfortable. Forget about politeness standing in line for a drink, they would just push their way past you like you weren't even there. It was really disheartening. I don't know if this just happens on that specific weekend but the group of 12-15 of us that hung out all weekend would not go back. The beach was not all that great at this part of the Island, there was only one place to swim as the rest was all coral and rock. All in all we did have a great time as a group but would not return to this resort. Sorry but not willing to take that chance. There were a few bartenders that were wonderful and made us feel very welcome and we had a great time with them. Two of them were Wilson and Joanna. One of the young fellows we were with tipped one of the waiters alot more then we would tip ours here and he laughed at him so guess who got no more tips!!!!!!
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Joel and Lynn |
May 2006
I recently stayed at the Luperon Beach resort in Puerto Plata. After the 1 1/2 drive to the hotel check-in went quickly. Then the problems began. If you go with Go Travel Direct and get stuck in building 23, buy lots of water to shower. Not an isolated incident. 4 out of the 7 days we barely had enough water to wash our faces. It was pretty bad having to plan your vacation around having a shower versus enjoying the sun. Don't look for help from the front desk staff or Christian from GTD, they got my money and that is their only concern. To top off the week, we were over run with locals on the resort for the weekend. I do not have a problem with a full resort , paying customers, and having to wait in line but when people just but in line and show little or no respect, I draw the line there.
On a positive note, most of the hotel staff were awesome, the food was good (good Variety) and the resort itself was very nice, clean, lush and tropical. I would recommend this resort with the above mentioned problems fixed. Of note, the resort has just been bought by new owners so maybe the comment card I left will get some results.
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Wade ~ Canada |
May 2006
We flew to Dominican Republic by Zoom Airlines. (very good airline)
We booked our Vacation with GO TRAVEL DIRECT. ( very good travel agency) Christian our rep was very helpful.
Luperon is about 1 1/2 hrs from Puerto Plata. It is has old buildings, but it is a 3 1/2 star rating. 3 big pools and one smaller pool. A small but nice beach. I thought every thing was great untill Saturday & Sunday. The Locals came in bus loads. I found that they basiclly took over the resort. They butted in line and would be served first. They would throw your towels of the chairs and take them. We managed to get thru the weekend. I would say that the locals out numbered us by 3-1. They pay a fee for the weekend, but i do not think it is very much. I thought that was a big and nice resort. Hopefully the resort will be able to limit the amount of locals. OH Yeah on Saturday, we were in building 23
and we lost our Hot Water and did not get any untill Monday morning. Our friends on the 3rd floor did not have any water after Saturday. I just want people to be aware of this situation. This is a nice resort and the buffett has a lot of selections.
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Pierre |
April 2006
First trip to Luperon, but our 3th in D.R.
It was above our expectations; the food was not different from what we've had in 4* resorts, the complex have 4 pools (so there's always a quiet place), you can easily find a chair and a shady location at the beach at any time, and (something important for us) snorkelling (not the best but ...) is possible from the beach in front of the hotel. The room? No bugs, so OK. The beach? Not much place to swim (1/10), but when there's 4 pools ...
The complex is rather old and would need some repairs (specially plumbing in building 23). However, on the bright side it has a funny design, very different from those new rectangular resorts, with paths "curving" (sorry I'm french speaking) through the resort. There are some vendors at the beach, but they are respectful. Most of the evening action (19:00 to 21:00) is at the main bar at the entry of Luperon Beach, and then there's the evening show at one end of the resort, near from where the disco and casino are located (so if you want to, you can go to bed early).
Be aware that they offer a snorkelling expedition (rather disappointing according to all and specialy for those who wanted to see fish) combined with a visit to a dominican village ($49 US), but there's no toilets on the catamaran ... (!)
Finally, as the resort is located 90 minutes away from Puerto Plata and most of the employees are from Luperon, you may feel for once that you're also helping a community. By the way, you can walk 15 minutes to the village.
So, we were pleasantly surprised and would go back on a "last minute" trip.
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Petra ~ Ontario |
March 2006
We booked our trip with NOLITOURS, That was a mistake. The Nolitour briefing rep never showed up at the scheduled time, after waiting an hour we tried again the next day, The Nolitour rep the next day told us he would not be back to the hotel again during our 2 week stay. He told us if we wanted a catamaran cruise just to go to the marina & pay the captain. We did go to the marina, at the scheduled time, there was no catamaran or captain to be found at the marina that he told us to go to. Again, another wasted hour of our paid vacation.
Nolitour is in charge of Chartering the airline which was Canjet for this trip. Again we made a mistake choosing NOLITOUR as Canjet does not supply free movies. The Canjet office told me prior to our flight we would have to pay $10. per person to rent equipment each direction if we wanted to see a movie. For 2 persons travelling that would be $40. Booking this trip with NOLITOUR was a complete mistake. I don't know of an airline that goes to the Caribbean that does not offer free movies except Canjet.
I personally will NEVER book another trip with Nolitour again for the above reasons.
The hotel is ok. The rooms are clean however in our room the water pressure out of the showerhead was only a dribble. The food is good with a good variety. The a la carte restaurants were ok.
The beach is long however there is only a very small sandy area to access the swimming area(beach rating 1 star). Snorkelling is ok, except the reef is dead & with few fish. Scuba diving at the hotel is very expensive so we did not scuba dive.
Entertainment I would rate as 3 star.
There are 4 pools of which 2 have swim up bars but no bartenders at the swim up bars.
Transportation to & from airport is ok except it's 1 1/2 hr drive.
Would I go back to this hotel? No
Would I book with NOLITOUR? NEVER
Would I fly with Canjet again? NO
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Holly |
March 2006
Well we just returned from our vacation at Luperon Beach Resort on Monday.
We went from Feb 27-March 6. We really loved it there. It was clean , the people were very friendly and helpful and the animation team was very entertaining. The bartenders were also very good and made our drinks the way we wanted them. I read a review of someone saying the drinks were wasted because there was too much alcohol but we were warned of this beforehand and just politely asked the bartenders each time to just put a little alcohol.
They were very understanding and gladly obliged and alot of times showed us exactly how they were making the drinks. We tried pretty much all of them..lol The Banana Mamas we loved the most though and the Pina Coladas are really good too although we were also warned by friends and our representative not to drink too many since Coconut oil is a natural laxative....:-O The pools were great. I loved the one with the water falls which was part of the next resort for pictures. This one was nice for taking pictures and relaxing in quiet but wasn't much activity around it so we spent most of our time at the main activity pool next to our building. The activities were ongoing or we could just relax in the pool and watch. There was a swim up bar there also, and the casino, disco and theatre were right next to it. I would recommend Buildings 17 (where we stayed) and 18 I assume is the one overlooking the pool, if you want to be close to all these activities. But if you like the quiet it's better to stay on the other side of the resort because we enjoyed sitting on our balconies at night when the disco and theatre we going on and listening to the music when we were too tired to go out. But if you wanted quiet, you probably wouldn't appreciate that.
The rooms were nice and clean. The beds were VERY uncomfortable though. Very firm..That was our only complaint about the room. The maids were great at keeping everything tidy and clean. The balcony overlooked the garden so that was nice.
I liked the food which surprised me since alot of people said I wouldn't like the food there. The a la carte's were nice and so was the buffet. I really liked it at the restaurant how the staff kept coming around continually to refill your water or wine whatever you wanted. It was nice to not have to keep asking especially when I had the Mexican food which was a little TOO spicy for me and I like spicy food..:-) Brazilian was my favourite a la carte because I loved the different types of meat they gave us.
The beach was nice. It wasn't the best for swimming I didn't think because it wasn't really calm. It was okay but the waves kept washing you back and forth and I don't like seaweed...I liked the sandy parts. I'm not much of a salt water person anyways. I liked the quieter part of the beach not the main part where the boats were and the vendors. I just liked to lie down and relax there.
I would definitely recommend booking a Catamaran trip through Petra (? I think that's her name)at the booking desk near the main buffet restaurant.
It was the most fun I think of our whole trip! Make sure to ask if Raphael is your operator on the boat because he was hilarious! Our other guides were great too but he was very entertaining and helpful.
The view from the hill when you go horseback riding is nice too so I'd try that. The horses like to clutter together abit on the trail so you're kinda getting pushed around so it's up to your liking of how much you'd like this outing.lol. 2 of us did, the other 2 didn't.:-) and unless they have calmer horses than we did who don't like to gallop much, I wouldn't recommend this for a shy younger child. Judge for yourself if you go there. It's really fun.
Well I don't know what else to say but we definitely enjoyed our stay there and would recommend it. If you have a problem with your room the staff are quick to help you. Our friends had problems with their key the first night and were moved right away. One thing though, don't book with Conquest Vacations! We had a horrible experience with them! Our representative didn't make it to our resort until Thurs so we had missed a couple things we could have done because it was too late to book them, we had pretty much learned everything about the resort on our own by then.And we had a little misplacement of a ticket at the airport on the way back and spent 30 mins trying to find someone english to help us! No Conquest rep around!!! We weren't pleased with them at all. Next time we'll book ourselves or through another agency.
But for sure go to Luperon Beach Resort! We loved it!
:-)
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Sherry ~ Canada |
March 2006
Just back from our stay at Luperon Beach Resort, Feb 20 to Feb 28th. The grounds of the resort are very beautiful and the pools are great. It was nice to be able to choose from 4. If one was really busy you could find another that was quieter. We had no trouble finding a chair or shade until the weekend came. The layout of the buildings is a little confusing. That may be because it is two resorts together.
On the weekend many locals stayed at the resort and while we had no problem with that, we felt that they were a little rude. They would butt in line at the buffet and bars as if they deserved priority service and would hold up service by talking to the servers. As for the food, it was okay. I am picky about what I eat but managed to find something each time….you can’t go wrong with chicken which was avail every night. I will say, however, that I had a very hard time finding a good alcoholic drink. They all pretty much tasted the same— just of alcohol—which lent itself to a lot of wasted drinks by many staying at the resort.
The beach had lots of naturally treed shade which was nice, but the beach itself was not good for swimming. Ninety percent of it is covered with a rocky layer that was unusable, there is only one small area that is roped off for swimming. Compared to the other 2 resorts we have stayed at in Dominican this was our least favorite. We are not picky people so we made due and had a good time. Overall if we had paid full price for our tickets, we would have been disappointed. We would not go back.
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Canada |
January 2006
We stayed at the Luperon Beach Resort Dec. 27/05 - Jan 3/06. It was the first time away over the holidays and we weren't sure how we'd like it since it was rated as a 3.5 stars. It now may become an annual holiday tradition to be at the Luperon because we had so much fun. New year's eve was great! We had two teenage boys with us - 15, and 18 and they really liked it. The disco is a very happening place from 12-2 a.m. The evening entertainment was really good, better than some 4 stars I've been at. The food was good with a wide variety available to please everyone. The a la carte restaurants were good too with two seatings at 6:30 or 9 p.m. The food at the beach was really good too - pizzas, burgers, bbq chicken, pasta, fruit, fries - tons of variety for a 3.5 star resort. The three pools were all different depending on if you wanted fun or quiet. We spent most of our time at the pool by the activity centre and we took part in water aerobics, ping pong, darts, etc. There is so much to do - shuffleboard, horseshoes, ping pong, tennis, fitness centre, volleyball, water polo, dance lessons, spanish lessons and the animation team is fantastic. Water sports available too. All the staff were really nice. We stayed in building two, top floor adjacent rooms overlooking one of the pools. Nice! The only thing negative was the pools could have been cleaner. They did seem to clean them daily but they still were a bit dirty. We didn't pay extra for a suite but via email we asked for a top floor with pool view and we got two suites. Email the resort directly with any special requests you have and they are very accommodating. Can't wait to return!
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Jackie, Alec & Vicki Irving ~ Newcastle upon Tyne, UK |
August 2005
We felt we have to give our review of Luperon Beach after reading some of the adverse comments previously posted.
We have just visited the resort (22 July to 5 August 2005) and have had a fantastic time. The rooms, although basic were clean - our first room was very dark and after speaking to our Rep (who by the way was a fantastic lass called Claire from Thomas Cook) she had within approx 5 minutes two further rooms for us to choose from. The food was really good, quite varied and plentiful. The Animation Team - especially Felix, Jose and Will - were enthusiastic, friendly and tried their hardest to get everyone involved. The resort wasn't full, but the atmosphere was great - the locals who came in over the weekend came along to enjoy themselves - and they did! They were noisy, but not rowdy and if you made the effort to speak to them, they were very friendly. With the resort not being full, there were plenty of sun-beds, no queues for food, etc. We even had one of the pools to ourselves for most of one day!
Although there were pool side swim-up bars, you could not get any service at them, but you could take your drinks in from the outside bar !!
We met some lovely people whilst we were there - Hi to Sue, Mike, Kris, Lee and Lauren - hope you're not missing us too much!
We went on the Columbus Discovery trip - Paradise Island was beautiful. We also went along to Ocean World, were we had a "Dolphin Encounter" and a "Shark Encounter" - two trips well worth doing.
If you are going, make sure you take enough sun cream, toiletries, etc as the shop on the complex is very expensive for these items.
All in all a superb holiday.
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| Luperon Beach Resort |
Sarah ~ Cheshire, UK |
July 2005
We have just got back from Luperon Beach Resort and had a cracking time!
I just wanted to say how clean and tidy the complex was, how friendly the people were and how gorgeous the food was.
There was a group of 8 of us (4 adults, 2 teenagers and 2 kids) and we thought it was a cracking holiday.
Before we went, we had read all the reviews on this website and were really nervous about going, as people have talked about rats running around, syringes lying about, rude staff and unclean rooms amongst other things.
I don't know where these people went, because it definitely wasn't Luperon Beach! I've never heard anything like it.
So if you are heading off to Luperon Beach soon and have read similar reviews, please ignore them cos its complete rubbish.
Have a great holiday!
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